A recent dinner conversation with friends rolled around to the question: "What is art?" A long conversation ensued. Someone offered up Wikipedia's definition: "Art is a diverse range of human activities in creating visual, auditory or performing artifacts, expressing the author's imaginative or technical skill, intended to be appreciated for their beauty or emotional power." This group of arts administrators was unsatisfied. As … [Read more...]
SWOT + What?
The SWOT analysis is a well-known and highly valuable tool for strategic planning. Strengths - What do we do better than others? Weaknesses - What could we improve (or what should we avoid)? Opportunities - What new ideas deserve to be explored? Threats - What challenges may interfere with our plans? To understand what's "internal" to our organizations, we study the assessment of our own strengths & weaknesses. The … [Read more...]
7 Audience Development Resolutions for 2017
“Your beliefs become your thoughts; Your thoughts become your words; Your words become your actions; Your actions become your habits; Your habits become your values; Your values become your destiny.” - Mahatma Gandhi Together, let's make these resolutions for 2017: I BELIEVE: Arts & cultural experiences are an essential public good, critical to a healthy and truly democratic society, and invaluable as a source of personal enrichment … [Read more...]
75 Days to Decide: Is Your Organization Part of the Solution – or Part of the Problem
In her Jumper blog, Diane Ragsdale delivers a stirring message for the dawn of the Trump Presidential era that deserves to be shared and contemplated with the staff, management and Board of every arts & cultural organization: "...those working in nonprofit professional cultural organizations across the US—we in the so-called Creative Class—are, without a doubt, among those who did not understand our country, its culture, or its values. If we … [Read more...]
Nominations for Audience Development Innovation
No Good Deed Goes UNPUBLISHED. That's my motto - and why I ask: Have you seen an example of an arts organization doing something REMARKABLE in the pursuit of audience development - something especially CREATIVE, AMBITIOUS and/or EFFECTIVE? If so, would you jot me a quick note and tell me about it? Reach me at: MLehrman@audienceavenue.com. A new year demands NEW examples and FRESH perspectives. No need to write a long & … [Read more...]
Chatting with Playwright Rich Orloff… on Relevance.
What is the value of relevance? As an arts marketer, I believe that relevance is the mandatory price of admission to an audience's attention. That which is irrelevant is routinely ignored or discarded. And for artists and arts organizations, relevance is the essential fuel of viability - the spark that ignites recognition, appreciation, attendance, support, discussion and opportunities for advancement. Nobody aspires to irrelevance. But … [Read more...]
How Relevant is My Arts Organization? Take this Self-Test!
Arts administrators worry. We worry about cash flow. We worry about achieving and sustaining consensus. We worry about attracting and retaining quality staff team. We worry about logistics. We worry about outstanding grant applications and whether last year's donors will continue their support this year. We worry about deadlines and opening nights. We worry about why ticket sales are underperforming budget expectations. We worry about … [Read more...]
A Small Detail, A Big Idea & Why You Should Care
Let's marvel at a small detail that reveals a big idea... Here's the opening sentence of a just-received press release from the City of Mesa (AZ)... Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc. (NYSE: SC, “Santander Consumer USA”), a consumer finance company focused on vehicle finance, third-party servicing and delivering superior service to more than 2.5 million customers across the full credit spectrum, announced it will expand its operations to … [Read more...]
The 4 Types of Audiences
You want to attract, grow, diversify and sustain your audience? Great! But the biggest mistake you can make is to think of that audience as a single entity. True, "your audience" converged at some point - whether for a particular night's performance, during the run of a production or exhibition, into your venue, or some other way onto your mailing list. But the happenstance of their intersection doesn't mean they share the same motivations, … [Read more...]
What is Audience Engagement? (Part 3)
This is SUCH a great thought-provoking conversation, I'm thrilled for it to continue… Again, delighted (and grateful) to share the wisdom of respected friends and colleagues on the question: What is the meaning of the word “engagement”? And how does an arts organization know if it is succeeding? ————- Bob Booker – Executive Director of the Arizona Commission on the Arts When two people make a statement of love, support, and promise to … [Read more...]